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Ubuntu Edgy Eft beta out

By admin | September 28, 2006

Updated: 11:03pm The next version of the popular Ubuntu Linux distribution was released today. As the name suggests, Edgy Eft will include bleeding-edge Linux technologies, with many of the packages expected in Edgy to be beta themselves.

Here we look at what you can expect from Ubuntu 6.10.

(See below for download options)

The first thing you’re likely to spot is a new init system called Upstart, along with a slicker bootup splash screen that scales better than the Dapper Drake version. While Upstart should boot a little faster, the biggest advantages are highly technical, dealing with removable hardware at boot time. For an in-depth discussion of the new init system, have a look here. A system called Readahead, which is in deep development, should speed up boot times further.

The login screen and login splash have also been updated, and from initial screenshots it all fits in well with the new wallpaper and icons that the team has produced. The now-famous Ubuntu brown has taken a turn towards chocolate, mercifully moving away from its sharky beginnings. Windows now have rounded edges, and you can expect a fresher look with Edgy.

Ubuntu has taken a note (pun intended) out of Suse’s book, and you’ll now have yellow post-its on your desktop thanks to Tomboy. We should really thank the Gnome folks for this — Gnome 2.16 includes Tomboy, and that’s the Gnome version you’ll see in Edgy Eft.

Another big Suse favourite is F-Spot, now included in Edgy. Manage your photo album like a pro with this powerful photo management utility.

Evolution has been spruced up, with a new vertical pane look, as well as a slicker calender thanks to graphics engine Cairo.

Two notable betas, Firefox 2.0 “Bon Echo” beta 2 and Gaim 2.0, make a debut in Edgy. The inclusion of betas states firmly that this is a bleeding edge distro, not for rolling out in the office. There’s also Python 2.5, which is a welcome addition for us Python fans.

Good news for Compiz fans: you’ll now get AIGLX natively with Xorg 7.1, so you’ll be able to pimp your ride with Compiz with less hassle.

A beefed-up OpenOffice 2.0.4 release candidate 2 should secure you from viruses thanks to better Java sandboxing. With any luck, its spell checker will even work for those of us who use South African English.